As a neonatal nurse practitioner, Shelley Anne Akey, DNP, NNP-BC, practices medicine with the skills of a nurse and the heart of a mother. Treating families with respect, she builds trusting relationships to provide children the best care.

Shelley knew she would be a nurse, even as a child. "I would dress in a nurse's cap and pretend to be a nurse, putting Band-Aids on my dad whether he needed them or not," she says.

Shelley enjoyed caring for adults but made a change to pediatrics when she became a mother. Shelley and her husband lost their infant twins to Turner syndrome and, later, lost their son born with a heart condition. She knew then she could use her nursing skills and her mother's grief for good in the neonatal intensive care unit.

"I wanted to help sick babies get better and help families get through the experience," Shelley says.

When she's not working, Shelley and her husband stay busy with their five kids. They love to travel, with Disneyland and the beach topping their list. Shelley also loves to dance and read.